EAST HARTFORD — Connecticut's own Arkeel Newsome provided one of the few bright spots in UConn's 36-10 loss to Temple on Saturday at Rentschler Field.

Newsome, the state's career rushing leader, scored his first collegiate touchdown on a 74-yard screen pass from Chandler Whitmer.

"It was just great," said UConn coach Bob Diaco. "We've got to keep [getting Newsome the ball], he's an incredible talent. … Arkeel is just a special player."

Newsome, from Ansonia, caught Whitmer's pass, broke a tackle and cut back across the field, outrunning the Owls defense to score the Huskies' only touchdown, cutting the deficit to 28-10 with 5:16 left in the third quarter.

"They brought pressure up the middle, and the guy came clean," Whitmer said. "Usually when that happens, if you can get it up and over somehow, there aren't many tacklers out front. ... Good blocking and good speed by Arkeel. It was a nice play."

Temple defeated UConn 36-10 in an AAC football game Saturday afternoon at Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Newsome rushed for 30 yards on seven carries. He also had a 3-yard reception to go along with the touchdown catch. Newsome rushed for 10,685 yards and 172 touchdowns in his four years at Ansonia High School.

Melifonwu LeavesGame With Injury

Safety Obi Melifonwu left the game in the second quarter after injuring his upper body on a tackle. Melifonwu had two tackles in the first half, and the UConn defense limited Temple to 23 passing yards. In the second half, P.J. Walker passed for 208 yards.

"[The injury] is not insignificant. I believe that he is probably going to be classified as injured," Diaco said. "I just don't know whether it's day to day or if it's going to persist."

Geremy Davis left the game in the fourth quarter, but Diaco said it wasn't a significant injury, just dehydration.

"Geremy is fine," Diaco said. "Every time there was an offensive set, he was basically available. He was clear at the end of the game. There was just no sense putting him in there."

Punter Justin Wain did not play because of a lower leg injury. Kicker Bobby Puyol punted six times in addition to his kicking duties.

TD Nullified, Temple Takes Advantage

On the opening kickoff of the second half, UConn appeared to take a 9-7 lead. Temple couldn't hold onto the kick, and Wilbert Lee recovered the fumble in the end zone.

But an offside call on the kickoff wiped out the touchdown. Less than eight minutes later, Temple had reeled off three touchdowns to take a 28-3 lead.

"It wasn't the game," Diaco said. "It was an unfortunate moment in the game that we should be able to withstand. It wasn't the difference in the game."

Military Appreciation Day

It was Military Appreciation Day at Rentschler Field. Before kickoff, volunteers, many of them former or current armed forces personnel, held an American flag that spanned the length of the field during the national anthem. There was a flyover as well.

At the end of the first quarter, members of the Connecticut National Guard were honored on the field and given a standing ovation. Temple's band formed the letters "USA" during their halftime performance, and veterans were honored on the field.

Boyle Gets A Chance At QB

Tim Boyle and Deshon Foxx also saw action at quarterback. Boyle completed 1 of 4 passes for 7 yards. Foxx completed his only pass for 4 yards. Foxx also ran three times for 31 yards. Fox said of the quarterback position, "That's on the coaches, and I'm going to do whatever they tell me to do."… Davis had eight receptions for 80 yards. He has caught a pass in 31 straight games. Davis also moved into seventh all-time at UConn in receptions. … Kenton Adeyemi recorded the first sack of his career in the second quarter. … Puyol missed a 45-yard field goal with 12:36 remaining in the second quarter. It was his first missed field goal of the year. The redshirt sophomore was 5-for-5 heading into the game. … Stratford's Tyler Matkevich had seven tackles for Temple. The junior from St. Joseph-Trumbull sacked Whitmer in the end zone for a safety in the third quarter. … Temple has scored a defensive touchdown in each of its first four games after Tavon Young's 93-yard interception return for a touchdown on the opening drive. Niko Walsh returned a Whitmer fumble 11 yards for another defensive touchdown in the third quarter. … Temple's Haason Reddick was ejected with 6:17 left in the second quarter after a targeting penalty on a hit to Whitmer's helmet. ... There was a moment of silence held in honor of former UConn athletic director John Toner before the national anthem. Toner died Tuesday at the age of 91. … Former UConn quarterback Dan Orlovsky tweeted to The Courant's Desmond Conner, "Just hard to watch nowadays" after Temple took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. … UConn advertised the Jasper Howard Statue Fund on the scoreboard, asking fans to consider giving a $10 gift via texting.